Wednesday, May 25, 2011

The Pacific Collection has completed a new online photograph database. The Jack Tobin Marshall Islands AnthropologyCollectionspans the years 1950 through 1972, during which time Dr. Tobin, a renowned anthropologist, was living and working in the Marshall Islands. The date range covered by these images was one of major change for the Marshalls, beginning not long after the outset of nuclear testing (1946) in the region and ending not long before the establishment of the Republic of the Marshall Islands as an independent nation (1979). The 1,933 images in this collection also enhance the Library's online collection Nuclear Diaspora: Bikini and Enewetak, which documents roughly the same period as witnessed by Dr. Robert Kiste and Dr. Leonard Mason. (Tobin initially went to the Marshall Islands in 1950 as a student of Len Mason, and all three had longstanding ties to the University of Hawai'i.)

The digitization work was funded by the UH-Manoa Center for Pacific Islands Studies’ Title VI National Resource Center grant, and was greatly aided by the Library's Desktop Networking Services department.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

From May 23-25, 2011, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School are co-sponsoring "Threatened Island Nations: Legal Implications of Rising Seas and a Changing Climate." The New York conference will look at the legal framework surrounding climate change issues. Of note for those studying climate change in Hawaii and the Pacific: The conference website includes annotated bibliographies on various aspects of climate change as well as links to other online resources.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Below are listed some recently arrived films, all of which are available to UH-Manoa students, faculty and staff through the Wong Audio/Visual Center. To see the library cataloging record or request a film for viewing, click on the title. All films in the University Hawaii system can be found by searching the Voyager online catalog. The Center for Pacific Islands Studies also maintains a database that is specific to Oceania-related films—click here to visit the Moving Images of the Pacific Islandsdatabase.

Chechemeni's Adventure (2006) - Documentary film of the voyage from Satawal to Okinawa made by Chechemeni, a Carolinian traditional canoe, and six courageous sailors in 1975. In Japanese with English subtitles.

Jaki Ed: Marshallese Clothing Mats(2010) - A short cultural history of finely woven and decorative clothing mats worn traditionally by men and women in the Marshall Islands. It details the mat weaving process and describes recent efforts in the Marshall Islands to revive this cultural industry. In Marshallese with English subtitles.

No Questions (2007). A dramatization produced by Wan Smolbag Theatre in Vanuatu. Sylvia wants her students to get the most out of education, but the boys in her class are making her life difficult. Then she discovers a new and exciting way to teach, but as the students get more involved in her lessons, the other teachers become hostile.

Senso Daughters(1990). The story of military brothels and the mistreatment of New Guinean women and Japanese "comfort women" during World War II in Papua New Guinea, told through interviews.

Solid Sistas Documentary (2006). Documentary about the popular musical play Solid Sistas, produced in Vanuatu by Wan Smolbag Theatre. The play is about women's rights and social conditions.

Sun Come Up (2011). "Sun Come Up follows the relocation of some of the the Carteret Islanders, a peaceful community living on a remote island chain in the South Pacific Ocean, and now, some of the world's first environmental refugees. When rising seas threaten their survival, the islanders face a painful decision: they must leave their beloved land in search of a new place to call home. The film follows a group of young Carteret Islanders as they search for land in Bougainville, an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea 50 miles across the open ocean. The move will not be easy as Bougainville is recovering from a 10-year civil war"—Producers.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Due to Library-wide budget cutting measures, the Hawaiian & Pacific Collections will be closed on Sundays throughout Summer 2011. In the period beginning May 15 and running through August 21, the Hawaiian and Pacific Collections will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday; closed on Saturdays and Sundays. During the summer interim period, May 16 through May 20, the Collections will be open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.; closed on Saturdays and Sundays. For more on Hamilton Library's hours, click here. We apologize for the inconvenience.

About Us

The Hawaiian & Pacific Collections are located on the fifth floor of Hamilton Library, on the campus of University of Hawaii-Manoa. For general questions about either collection, contact: hawnpac@hawaii.edu This blog began publishing on Oct. 30, 2009, and is edited by Pacific specialist librarian Stu Dawrs. Contact: dawrs@hawaii.edu